Chapter 317 (2/2)
Markus even got permission to stand off twenty kilometers and use the magnification systems to let La'amo'o see an entire flight wing of fighters take off from the bay, leaving five at a time and quickly getting into formation before heading toward the outer system to do a pirate sweep.
Afterwards, Markus flew back, taking a leisurely path, letting La'amo'o see all the sights from high up in the sky.
When it landed La'amo'o felt slightly tired, the excitement of the flight leaving him yawning.
He clopped out and took his daughter's hands, squeezing them.
”Was it fun, daddy?” she asked.
”Very much,” La'amo'o said. ”I got to see the Dominitus up close.”
Prince watched the interaction between La'amo'o and his daughter. Prince had taken her to the movie theater where she had watched Nine Days Till Summer Ends, a recent big budget kids movie that Prince's friends had deepfaked Lanaktallan to replace the main actors. She had laughed at a lot of the parts, including where all five of the kids had jumped into the lake onto to find out it was about a foot of water and then mud.
It saddened Prince that anything higher up than a children's comedy movie was too difficult for the average Lanaktallan to process emotionally.
He used his hard-light projector to escort them back to their apartment.
Alma'ana ran her fingers along the pale peach colored wall and sighed in happiness as the trio walked down the hall to La'amo'o and Alma'ana's apartment. When the Empire had invaded it had been cracked plascrete.
Now all the lights worked, there was variable hardness tile on the floor, and the ceiling was painted cream and the walls pale peach, all of it pleasing to Lanaktallan eyes.
To Prince it felt less like a prison complex on a Hellworld and more like a standard universal habitation complex, the kind that everyone in the Confederacy was allowed free of charge (unless local laws prevented it due to system or local culture and beliefs) on almost every planet.
”Did the two of you enjoy your outing?” Prince asked, pausing at the doorway.
”Yes. Thank you for arranging it. It was even more exciting than I had ever dreamed,” La'amo'o said. He trembled slightly in remembered excitement.
”The movie was funny. I enjoyed it and even forgot, for a little while, it was just people pretending to be other people,” Alma'ana said.
”I'm glad that the two of you had a good day. I'll leave you here. Enjoy dinner, and please, take care of one another,” Red Prince said.
”You have a good day also,” La'amo'o said.
Alma'ana surprised Prince by suddenly leaning forward and hugging him. It was the first time she had initiated contact with anyone but her father in the entire time Red Prince had been treating her.
”It was wonderful,” the young Lanaktallan said.
Red Prince felt his coding blur slightly, the equivalent of a tear, and smiled down at her, patting her back. ”I am glad you and your father had a good day.”
Alma'ana let him go, stepping back and wiping her eyes. ”It is a good crying,” she said. She reached out with both of her left hands and took La'amo'o's hands. ”Thank you.”
”You're welcome,” Red Prince said. He nodded and shrunk before vanishing into the orb, which hovered down the hallway.
La'amo'o unlocked the door, leading his daughter inside their modest apartment.
It was different than it had been. The walls were no longer dingy grayish white, but were now painted calming pastel colors. The walls were no longer bare. Alma'ana and La'amo'o's therapy artwork adorned the walls, several shelves had the models of starships that La'amo'o had carefully built.
They ate together, chatting about their day, then watched a public service announcement reminding them that forming queues was the polite way to wait for service or entry to a location. Afterwards they watched Uncle Mikey together, sitting on the couch and holding hands.
Afterwards, Alma'ana worked on what her therapist had called 'macaroni art' while La'amo'o worked on a scale model of a Terran Viper IV aerospace fighter.
When they went to their separate rooms and went to bed, they both privately thought about what a wonderful day it had been.
And looked forward to tomorrow.
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FROM: MOFF RED PRINCE
TO: GRAND MOFF HECTOR
CC: DARTH HARMONIUS
Current therapy protocols are having a better effect than I had predicted. The Lanaktallan citizenry are showing more and more interest in their own world and place in it. The maintenance of the habitation blocks, as well as painting the buildings, has shown a marked uptick in morale.
Sadly, the current adult generation will take 20-50 years of therapeutic treatment to be considered functional adults. Many of them are only educated enough to do menial work that the Confederacy has long ago relegated to automatic systems or nanoforge fabrication. At this time I recommend that the current industry remain intact to give those who find purpose in labor a place to feel as if they are still fitting in.
The younger generation should be reaching baseline in the next 5-10 years, with therapeutic treatment according to plans I have filed with you. Sadly, there are protocols in Terran history to give me a good baseline of what I should do and how I should proceed.
In some ways I'm performing labor camp rehabilitation, in other ways I'm performing therapy for children suffering from attachment disorders and emotional delay.
I concur with Moff KwarKra that leaving Imperial Law Enforcement in place is the best bet. Lanaktallan law enforcement will carry memories of the Socio-Police for a long time.
As ever, I remain, your friend.
Red Prince